Funding the Future with College Scholarships

OAKLAND (CBS 5) ― By the end of this year, Andy Fremder will have helped more than one hundred Oakland-area students go to college with more than a million dollars in scholarships. Some of the teens are the first in their families to enroll.

Andy's idea sprouted six years ago, while he was working in a large investment firm.

"I grew up in a family and culture where higher education was a given," he explains. "That was sheer luck on my part, I didn't do anything to deserve it. So now if I was in a position to give that same opportunity to hundreds, or maybe thousands, of kids here in the Bay Area, it seemed like a smart thing to do."

Andy co-founded the East Bay College Fund for B to B-plus students in the Oakland area who show financial need and promise. Winners receive Great Expectations awards: a $16,000 scholarship spread over four years, plus a mentor and counseling.

"We've created this whole community to foster the success of these students. So no, we don't just hand 'em a check," Andy says.

Andy began by rallying friends and colleagues to fund a specific student's scholarship. In return, the student regularly reports on his or her progress. So far, about a dozen Great Expectations scholars have earned college degrees.

"We've got a young woman who's our first graduate in the program who's a teacher in the Bay Area," Andy says. "We've got another who's on the Oakland police force."

Scholarship winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen will soon earn his bachelor's degree in architecture from UC Berkeley. Besides the money, Yahya appreciates his mentor, an African American architect.

"If I'm up late night in studio working on one of my projects, I can give him a call and we relate on that level," Yahya says. "He's definitely been through what I'm going through right now."
If I'm up late night in studio working on one of my projects, I can give him a call and we relate on that level," Yahya says. "He's definitely been through what I'm going through right now.

Now, East Bay College Fund is reaching younger kids at an Oakland public elementary school. Three years ago, the Fund began promising fifth graders at Think College Now Elementary School $1000 scholarships if they go to college.

So young students Joshua Hines and Jose Mariano are shooting to become only the second member of their families with a college degree.

"What motivates me is I'll be able to learn and show my parents I can do stuff," Jose says proudly.

Joshua adds, "I want to go to college so bad that I can't wait!"

So for helping more than a hundred East Bay teens go to college, and encouraging elementary kids to set their sights on higher education, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Andy Fremder.

By Sharon Chin

Related Link:

* East Bay College Fund

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